(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for disintegrating light bulbs, more particularly, fluorescent lamps and for simultaneously providing a holding unit to contain such disintegrated fluorescent lamps in an environmentally-safe manner.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Fluorescent lamps are mercury-vapour electric-discharge lamps, in which the inside of the bulb or tube is coated with fluorescent material so that ultra-violet radiation from the discharge is converted to light of an acceptable colour. Such lamps take advantage of fluorescence, which is the production of visible light (white or coloured) or other radiation by a substance as the result of exposure to, and absorption of, other radiations of different wave length, such as ultraviolet light, or electric discharge in a vacuum tube. Those substances having this property are known as phosphors, the term usually being restricted to those solids that absorb ultraviolet and emit visible light. In ordinary fluorescent lighting, the tube contains mercury vapour and argon, and the inside walls of the tube are coated with the fluorescent substance, often a zinc or cadmium compound. The passage of an electric current through the mercury vapour-argon mixture produces invisible ultraviolet light which is absorbed by the phosphor and re-emitted as visible light. The whole process occurs at a relatively low temperature (hence called a "cold light" process).
Among the numerous substances which are known to exhibit phenomenon of fluorescence may be mentioned fluorite, uranium glass, petroleum, solutions of certain organic dyestuffs, eosin, fluorescein, quinine sulphate chlorophyll, and the vapour of sodium, mercury, iodine, and acetone.
Because of the contents of such fluorescent lamps, their disposal brings about environmental concerns, particularly where such fluorescent tubes are commonly disposed of with the everyday trash. It would therefore be desirable to provide a system for safely disintegrating such fluorescent lamps.
Various patented arrangements have been proposed for breaking up fluorescent tubes, bottles or the like into small pieces. Most of these however, particularly the arrangements therein for preventing escape of phosphorus and mercury which are present in fluorescent tubes, are complicated, requiring vacuum or pressure pumps and the like for their operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,404 discloses a fluorescent lamp crusher device which includes a replaceable filter cartridge for capturing or otherwise removing mercury vapours which are released upon the crushing of fluorescent lamps. Replaceable cartridges of the type described above include activated carbon, which is very effective in removing objectionable mercury vapours from the air during operation of the crusher, provided that the charcoal or carbon particles be replaced or replenished whenever they become saturated with mercury.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,672 patented November 1971 by W. de Frank purported to provide an apparatus for breaking up and disposing of burned-out and defective glass fluorescent lamp bulb tubes. That fluorescent tube disposing apparatus was entirely mounted on a lid of a mating, open-top, standard 20-gallon trash can. The patented disposal apparatus included an inlet chute to receive the fluorescent tubes, and a motor mounted underneath the lid for rotating a tube-breaking chain. A stop was positioned a predetermined distance below the outlet end of the inlet chute to hold a fluorescent tube in a position where it can be acted upon by the rotating breaking means. The means for breaking the fluorescent tube was a breaking chain which includes metal chain links connected by connectors to the motor driving shaft. Each metal chain was provided with a terminal metal washer. As the tube was broken, it automatically fed itself into the can. The inlet chute included a telescoping protective tube substantially entirely to enclose the fluorescent tube. A safety switch was also included, which prevented the motor from being energized unless the telescoping protective tube was raised or lifted to its upwardly extended position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,849 patented Oct. 31, 1975 by I. M. Atanasoff et al purported to provide a tube digester which served to prevent the escape of phosphorus and mercury vapours without requiring the provision of pumps for either pressure or suction. That tube digester was formed of a container in the shape of a funnel having an open bottom, which was adapted to be inserted in a bunghole in a storage drum. A tube for receiving fluorescent tubes opened into the container at one side. Within the container was a rotating blade which passed beneath the opening of the tube for breaking up fluorescent tubes. The axis of the tube was arranged in a plane which was tangential with respect to the axis of rotation of the blade. The tube sloped downwardly in the direction of rotation of the blade. The blade had a rearwardly and downwardly sloping surface for creating a downward draft of air within the funnel to prevent phosphorus and mercury vapours from escaping outward. A slightly downwardly sloping shelf was arranged beneath the tube and below the plane of rotation of the blade, by a distance at least equal to the length of the terminal prongs of a fluorescent tube. The leading edge of the blade formed an acute angle with the radius drawn from the axis of rotation to the top of the leading edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,287 patented Apr. 1, 1980 by W. E. Brown purported to provide apparatus for breaking up and disposing of burned-out glass fluorescent lamp bulb tubes. Such apparatus utilized rapidly rotating chains to pulverize the tubes. The pulverizing mechanism was confined within an open-top container and was suspended from a lid that covered the top of the container. The pulverized debris collected within the container. A plastic bag may line the interior of the container to facilitate disposal of the pulverized debris. A safety electrical switch was associated with the lid in a manner to prevent rotation of the chains if the lid was not properly sealed upon the top of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,404 patented Apr. 7, 1987 by J. W. Deklerow purported to provide a fluorescent lamp crusher. That crusher comprised a cylindrical crusher housing mounted on a carriage above a removable waste bucket, which communicated with a funnel-shaped discharge formed in the lower end of the housing. The top of the housing was sealed by a cover which had a lamp inlet opening and an exhaust opening. The shaft of an electric motor extended into the housing and had a plurality of flails or crusher elements secured thereto. The flails, adjacent the inlet opening, rotated at high speeds to strike and crush lamps entering the housing. The exhaust opening was connected by a duct to a filter cartridge which was removably-mounted on the exterior of the crusher housing above an exhaust fan. The cartridge contained a porous filter bag, which was removably-attached to the exhaust duct, and an activated charcoal filter element, which was positioned in the cartridge beneath the bag and was in communication with the fan inlet. The exhaust fan operated simultaneously with the crusher motor to develop a vacuum which served to draw exhaust air from within the housing successively through the filter bag and the charcoal filter element. The filter element was specially treated to remove mercury vapour from the exhaust air that passed through the element. The crusher elements were constituted by a metal plate which was secured to the motor drive shaft. Hooks which were secured to the ends of the metal plate were connected to flails.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,497 patented Apr. 27, 1993 by J. W. Deklerow purported to provide a lamp crusher. That lamp crusher housing was mounted on the removable cover of a replaceable waste container to discharge crushed lamps into the waste container through an opening in the cover. An elongate, plastic sleeve was removably and sealingly secured at one end over the upper end of the waste container, and at its opposite end around the outlet of the housing from which crushed lamp particles were discharged. The sleeve had an excess portion folded into the waste container so that when the cover was lifted from the container, opposite ends of the sleeve bag remained sealingly connected to the waste container and housing outlet so that no toxic gases were allowed accidentally to escape into their surrounding atmosphere. The apparatus included a replaceable filter cartridge for filtering out mercury vapours, and the like. Each cartridge contained a fuse which was connected in the circuit that controlled the motor that drove the lamp crusher. When a new cartridge was placed in the apparatus its fuse was connected into the control circuit and permitted only a predetermined number of lamp crushing operations to occur. After such finite number of operations the motor was prevented from further operation until the saturated cartridge was replaced by a new, clean cartridge. The crusher element included a cylindrical bar or flail which was connected to the shaft of the motor.